St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-28
The Big YACHT RACE.
It Was Won by the Volun-
teer With Comparative
Ease.
The Thistle Unable to Keep
Pace With the Fleet Amer
lean Boat.
An Immense Turnout of PeO-
pie to Witness the Great
Contest.
Yesterdays Races on the
Brooklyn Jockey Club
Track--NoteS.

Special to the Globe.
NEW YORK, Sept. 27.-The day for
the first of the great international yacht
race broke under unfavOrable circum-
stances. A heavy, smoky mist, almost
fog, hung over the bay and what little
wind there was scarce sufficed to ripple
the water. Everybody predicted that it
would be "Thistle day." if there
should be any race at all. AS early as
o'clock in the morning thousands of
persons were astir and in readiness to
seek whatever conveyance was availa-
BILE to the scene of the great contest and
the excursion steamers were filled to
their utmost capacity at very early
hour. When it was still nearly an hour
before the starting time the upper bay
was a floating city. The water all
around the flagship Electra was filed up
and everywhere bands played and
whistles blew. For two hours or more
the great fleet lay in the bay waiting for
wind. The slight breeze had died out
and the chances were that there would
be no race. AS noon approached, how
ever, gentle breeze Sprang up. At
1916 the Thistle began to stand in
toward Bay Ridge and the Volunteers
sails partly filed. Shortly after II
U lllc LlcClId
BLEW HER WHISTLE
and the starting line was cleared. Be
fore the preparatory starting guns were
fired the Thistle sailed past the Electra
with all sails set except the balloon jib
and spinnaker. The Volunteer cruised
about in small space and both yachts
created great sensation. The fog by
1915 had nearly disappeared and the
SOutherly breeze grew stronger. The
preparatory starting gun was fred at
1920. At 1924 a second gun was fired
by accident, through some one tamper-
ing with the electric firing apparatus
At this time both yachts were in favor
able position for starting, but as the
Eleetras signals were unchanged,
neither crossed the line. The
starting gun was fired at 1890
and sboth boats almost Immediately
headed for the line. Both carried main
sail, club topsail and three jibs. The
Thistle was slightly in the lead, but
there was not more than 200 feet be-
tween the boats. The official starting
time was: Thistle, 12:33.06; Volunteer.
12:34.5S4. Both yachts crossed the line
on the port tack. The moment they
were off the great fleet of pleasure boats
started after them. followed later by the
Electra, which soon overhauled the
0lo"u; Ihoi l"ppohcu oHe VI Tic lllosG
remarkable things ever seen in a Yacht
race in this harbor. The two yachts
went into the Narrows with the
Thistle several hundred feet ahead
of the Volunteer and came out
with the Volunteer a good half mile
ahead of the Thistle, the Volunteer
booming along at a good rate of speed,
while the Thistle was standing almost
dead still. The reason was that the
Volunteer had caught the wind like
feather and the Thistle had caught none
of it. A little while later the Thistle
caught the wind and started off
AT A BETTER PACE,
but at l :05, half an hour after the start,
the Volunteer was fully a mile in the
lead. The long lead of the Volunteer
was ascribed to superior seamanship in
holding OH to the first tack toward
Staten Island and catching the breeze
off shore. After awhile the Thistle
got more wind and decreased
the Volunteers lead, and at 2 o'clock
the Scotch boat was apparently rot more
than three-quarters of mile behind.
while at 2:l5 not more than half mile
separated the two, although the Thistle
was quarter of mile to the leeward.
At 2:3O the Volunteer was only three
Fights of a mile ahead. The wind was
increasing, and the Volunteer at 2:335
rounded the point of the hook and
headed for the lightship six minutes
ahead of the Thistle. At 2:43 the Vol
unteer was on the Starboard tack, out
side of the hook about a mile and a
quarter ahead of the Thistle, the latter
then being near the point of the hook.
The wind was then blowing nine miles
an hour, and the Volunteer slowly in
creasing her lead until 3:45 when she
rounded the lightship and started
hOmeward. The Thistle rounded the
lightship at4:01. From this point back
to the finishing line the race was practi-
cally walkover for the Volunteer, and
as she passed the dock she was greeted
with deafening cheers from the crowds
lining the shore, and similar reception
was accorded to her from the thousands
of eXcurSioniStS on the pleasure boats.
At buoy 10 the Thistle was sixteen
minutes behind the Volunteer with
the wind blowing twelve miles an hour.
The Volunteer presented
A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE
as she came booming up the bay with
the triumphal procession of boats be-
hind her, each flying every shred of
bunting that could be had. The Thistle
twenty minutes behind the victor. the
official time being as follows: Volun-
teer. $3.50; Thistle, 5:44-45. A re-
porter intervied Mr.. Bell and Capt Barr
Immediately after the race, just as the
Thistle dropped anchor in the harbor off
TompkinsviIle. In reply to query as
to what he thought of the race, Mr.. Bell
said: 81 merely think that we are
beaten. might say badly beaten.
have never, in all her races, seen the
Thistle sail so badly. Something ap-
peared to hamper her as though she had
a clog on her bottom. | am satisfied
however, that we
COULD NOT HAVE WON,
even with the Thistle at her best, as we
were badly handicapped by wind and
tide. The Volunteer had wind and tide
largely in her favor going down the
NarrowS, while at times we were almost
6ecalmed. You may say, however, that
| am satisfied if the committee are, and
that l will not complain"
''Were you hampered Gy the eXcur-
sions, Mr.. Bell?"
Il had rather not say. will leave
that for the committee TO decide"
Just then the chief officer of the
steam yacht Mohican, who had been on
the Thistle during the race, said: 81
should say we were handicapped As
soon as the Volunteer got in front the
whole feet started right after her,
churning and tearing up the water,
until il was as choppy as channel sea.
Is this not true, Mr.. Bell?'
Mr.. Bell acquiesced and added: ''This
was not the worst feature. The wind